This Ground Chicken (or Turkey) and Chickpea Curry Stew with Yogurt and Cilantro is a tasty Phase One stew I made with ground turkey!

This flavorful stew with ground chicken or turkey, chickpeas, tomatoes, yogurt, and curry powder was one of those recipes that end up tasting a lot better than they look, and I thought this was a delicious quick dinner option. I spotted the recipe for Chicken Chickpea Curry Bowls on Everything Rachel Ray, but I skipped the rice and served it as a stew. I did change the preparation method a little, simmering the meat, chickpeas, tomatoes, and curry powder for a few minutes before I stirred in the yogurt.

I haven't made too many recipes from Rachel Ray, and I know some people love to criticize her for her perky personality and 30 Minute Meals, but I think anyone who can get more people into the kitchen cooking at home deserves some credit. This recipe from Rachel was definitely a keeper for me, loaded with flavor, frugal, and easy to get on the table in less than 30 minutes.

(Ground Chicken (or Turkey) and Chickpea Curry Stew with Yogurt and Cilantro was featured January 2013 for A Month of Daily Phase One Recipes, on a day when I fell on the ice and broke my arm!)

The recipe called for ground chicken, which is what I used, but I think ground turkey would be fine as well. Brown the chicken or turkey in the olive oil.

Push the browned chicken over to one side of the pan, add a little more oil, then add the chopped onions and saute onions for 3-4 minutes, until they are just starting to get some color.

Sprinkle onions with the curry powder and cook a couple of minutes, stirring a few times, then stir the onion mixture into the browned chicken.

Drain one can of chickpeas in a colander placed in the sink, rinse well with cold water, and let drain.

Add chickpeas and canned tomatoes to the chicken-onion mixture and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Then stir in the yogurt, turn heat to low, and simmer 3-4 minutes or until flavors are well blended. Serve hot, garnished with fresh chopped cilantro if desired.

Heat 1 T olive oil in a heavy non-stick frying pan, then add ground chicken or turkey, breaking it apart with the turner and sauteing until it is well cooked and lightly browned. This will take 7-9 minutes, don't rush the browning step.

Push the chicken or turkey to one side of the pan, add the extra tsp. olive oil, then add chopped onions and cook 3-4 minutes, until onions are just starting to get some color. Sprinkle onions with the curry powder and cook about 2 minutes more, turning a few times, then stir the onion mixture into the chicken.

Add tomatoes with juice and drained chickpeas and let simmer about 5 minutes, or until some liquid has evaporated and flavors are well blended. Turn heat to low, stir in yogurt, and simmer about 3 minutes more. (Don't let it come to a boil after the yogurt has been added.)

Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped fresh cilantro if desired. This can be served over rice, but I just ate it in a bowl as a stew.

Served as a stew, and using chicken or turkey with less than 10% fat, this low-glycemic dish is perfect for any phase of the South Beach Diet. Spicy Mexican Slaw would make a great low-carb side dish. This would also be wonderful served over brown rice or Uncle Ben's Converted Rice for phase 2 or 3.

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. Or if you're a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

More Variations on Chicken with Curry Flavors:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)

(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)

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Heather, I can't really answer that because I always use Penzeys curry powder. I both both the Sweet and the Hot curry powder from them. I think curry powder is a personal preference, so any brand is "good" if you like the flavor of it.

The recipes I've had from Rachel Ray have always been good. I'll take happy and perky over grumpy and condescending any day. I'll also take a few servings of this curry! I bet my daughter would like this, and since it's gluten free, she can have it! YUM!

What a coincidence... I just have chick peas, minced turkey, yogurt and coriander to make for dinner, I was planning to make curry burgers with coriander, hummus and cucumber raita but I may as well make your dish :)))

really delicious flavors, though i added crushed red pepper flakes and cayenne to spice it up... the only issue i had was that the yogurt curdled as it heated up....i used the greek, thick yogurt. wonder what i did wrong!

Anonymous, I like the way you spiced it up. Did you simmer on low for only a few minutes as the recipe says? Curdling would be caused by cooking at too high of heat or for too long. I didn't have a problem when I did it, sorry to hear this happened for you.

Mike so glad you liked it. Spice it as much you like next time. I hope this will freeze well, although I'm not entirely sure about the yogurt. (Although I've frozen lots of things with sour cream, which seems like the same idea.)

I just got around to making this tonight, and man, is it good! I used ground turkey, and my package was closer to two pounds, so I didn't have a lot of liquid in the "stew", which was fine with me. I used Madras curry powder, which has a little heat to it. I'll definitely make this one again!! Thanks, Kalyn, for another keeper!

This was wonderful! I have tried many of your recipes and they never disappoint, but this one was really delicious. I also added some peas and might throw in cauliflower as well next time. Thanks so much for all your work. Sandy

Just tried this tonight and enjoyed it! I'd usually shy away from a recipe with chickpeas, but decided to give this a shot. I really love the smell of curry and never cooked with it before. I think next time I might add more! Kalyn, your recipes are great for me to make on a Sunday, have my one serving, then three days of lunches or dinners during the week. All yummy and healthy! Thanks!

This was delicious! I made it tonight and served it with brown rice and steamed broccoli. I just stumbled upon your website and am planning on making a lot of your recipes this week! This recipe was a great start. Thank you!

This dish is great, even without curry.I used spices I had, and served over brown rice.Looking forward to making with curry next time, even though I can't imagine it could be any better. Love it! :))) Thank you!

I'm thinking, (cooking for 1) that I should stop before the addition of yogurt and just add it as I use/heat each portion. I think it would keep better? I like the addition of cauliflower (for P1) and/or peas. Hope you heal quickly!

Kaelyn, I feel so fortunate to have found you! I put my husband (who needs to shed 30 lbs) on SB Diet this week, and I need to lose 10. I bought the book in 2004, way before either of us were heavy; I have always been interested in nutrition & thought it sounded like a good diet to go on if we ever needed one. We did it in (a year after I had twins) & I lost my weight. But the recipes in the book get old, and I don't like the interface of recipes on their website.

I found you this Monday by Googling "South Beach Eggplant Pizza". We are going to a pizza party tonight after skiing, and we wanted to feel like we were eating something as gooey & cheesy and good as everyone else. I tested your recipe immediately, and we were floored. I just made your Turkey/Chickpea/Curry dish last night (AMAZING!) and bought ingredients for two more of your "30 Days" dishes.

You have an enthusiastic follower in me! I honestly can't thank you enough. You are making this easy. I am so inspired by your story, too. (I actually shoot for Women's World...I'm a freelance photographer based near Bozeman, MT & I shoot food/travel/portraits all over the US). I also have to tell you that your photography is EXCELLENT. I'm ditching my Pioneer woman subscription (bad photos, fatty recipes, too narcissistic of a personality & way too much contrived personal information ). I am switching to following YOU!!! I wake up every day now thinking, "What has Kalyn posted today?"

This was delicious, exactly as written on day one. On day two, my family got Vietnamese pho for dinner and since that is definitely not SB friendly, I pulled out the leftover stew. Instead of the cilantro, I added the Thai basil and some beansprouts the others had for their pho. It was just enough of a twist to feel like I was eating some different than befor and it was just as delicious.

Thank you so much for your blog. It is my favorite and the one from which I cook the most. I send all my friends your way whenever I can!

I've made this twice, and it is TERRIFIC! Even better, it's fast, healthy, and inexpensive - a home run! The curry powder chosen is definitely key. I prefer Madras curry powder to anything sweet. I'm using Madras curry powder I got in India, and I'm a little worried about how this dish will taste when I have to replace it. I've heard the brand, Sun, is good and available at Indian groceries, so I'll try that next. I've also seen several recipes for making your own Madras curry powder online. If any of you have tried making your own curry powder, I'd love to hear how it went!

What a delightful dish! I love to add chickpeas especially in a chicken curry dish. This is something my family will enjoy. Glad I found your recipe via Monica Bhide's curry collection today. What an honor to be included next to yours, Kalyn! Thanks for sharing !

Loved this recipe! I think I've made it 2 or 3 times now, although I never seem to have yogurt on hand when I do :). Others may have done some if the same additons, but here a couple things I added and that have worked out great: shredded kale, zucchini chunks, Chipotle pepper, garam nasal a spice, and a pinch of ground ginger.

Thanks for sharing to your recipe. I think you might be my new fave food blog!

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